


part 1

by primreceded



Category: No Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-08
Updated: 2009-07-08
Packaged: 2017-11-16 00:23:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/533421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/primreceded/pseuds/primreceded





	1. Chapter 1

Title: Every Night Is Another Round  
Rating: R  
Fandom: Supernatural RPS  
Disclaimer: All characters are real people, however this story is fiction. I am in no way earning money or other profit from this fanfic.  
Char/Pair: Jared/Katie Cassidy (Jared/Sandy in passing), Jared/Jensen, Jensen/Adam Lambert, Chris/Steve, Chad/Sophia, Allison Mack, Aldis Hodge, brief Genevieve Cortese and Danneel Harris  
Prompt: None  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: Slash, mild het, language  
W/C: 21,787

Jared steps out onto the porch of the tiny cabin, bare feet getting covered in dirt and twigs as he inhales deep - earth and pine and air. He hears the drops before he sees them, plopping huge and steady on the leaves behind the cabin and he knows in a few minutes they’ll be over the roof to muddy up the patch of ground that poses as a front yard. It’s been raining a lot the last couple of days, a final stretch into a hot summer.

There’s already a layer of fog coating everything, because even though it’s early morning, even though it’s raining, it’s still warm out. It makes him want to slip back inside, lock the doors and climb back under the covers. Makes him want to slip into his sneakers and run until he reaches the end, where it thins and he can see everything clear as his lungs burn.

Behind him there’s a loud crash, a curse and then seconds later his brother’s pushing out the front door and past him to his car. He shouts over his shoulder that he’ll see Jared later, and breakfast is on the table.

“Clean up that mess will you?” He says as he climbs into the Camry. Jared watches without saying a word as he starts the car, starts to back out. Then Jeff stops and rolls down the window to shout, “And don’t cut yourself, Mom’ll kill me!” Then his brother is pulling out of the driveway and zooming off to the hospital.

Jared chuckles, shakes his head and then steps back into the cabin. He’s staying with his brother for the summer, until college starts. His mother had almost refused to let him go, wanting to keep her _baby boy_ (even though he’s seventeen) at home for as long as she could but luckily their father had managed to convince her to let him go and, after much promising from Jeff that he’d take care of him, here he was.

In the kitchen there’s a broken plate shattered across the floor, bits of egg under one of the chairs. Jared sighs before grabbing a dish towel to pick up the bigger pieces of porcelain and dumps them in the trash. His brother had always been clumsy, the amount of times he’s broken bones and spent in hospitals as a kid is probably a good indication as to why Jeff is now a doctor. A damn good one, if Jared were to say so. He’s never clumsy with his patients. Of course he’d never let his brother hear him say that, as far as Jeff is concerned Jared still thinks of him as his loser big brother.

After he finishes cleaning Jeff’s mess and eats his lukewarm eggs, Jared showers and changes into some shorts and a tee-shirt. The rain has stopped for the most part, though the sky is still dark with overhanging clouds so it’ll probably pick up again at some point. The air outside is thick with humidity and he can feel the sweat start as soon as he steps onto the porch. Though that’s nothing new, and he knows that his now clean, dry shirt will be damp before the hour is up.

Jeff’s cabin is on the edge of a resort town. The kind of place where the main drag is filled with motels and hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops. The first day Jared rolled into town he’d wanted to stop everywhere and do everything. He’s never been anywhere quite like it before. It’s going to be one hell of a summer, he thinks.

His tennis shoes are caked with mud from the fast morning rain and they slip off the pedals of his bike as he makes his way into town. The cabin is only five minutes away by bicycle, fifteen if he walks. It’s not in the greatest shape, but it’s enough for Jeff and his brother likes fixing things. Likes, too, that he got it because it needs fixing.

 _“Wouldn’t have been able to afford living here any other way, little brother,”_ he’d said when Jared called him on the fixer upper. He’d teased Jeff about the sloppy paintwork in his bedroom, the new crooked tile in the bathroom, but Jared secretly loved it. Wanted to stay forever, tucked away in the woods. It wasn’t San Antonio and living under his parents’ thumb. It was freedom and his future. It was freakin’ awesome.

This early in the morning, none of the shops are open, so Jared pedals around aimlessly for a while. He stops at a deli after a bit and grabs the paper, a large coffee with probably more sugar than one human should consume, and a bagel. Leaving his bike leaning against the store, he walks across the street and sits on the low cement wall that runs the length of the lake.

The steamboats sit idle in the water as the operators set up for the day. There are booths out front for the tourists, one for when the boats dock and the tourists can pick up their souvenir pictures taken before they board, the other soon to be filled with sailor caps of all colors with the name of the boats and the year emblazoned on them. The boats themselves are huge, they sit bobbing in the water as attendees run around and release ramps and make sure everything is in top shape. A couple of smaller motorboats sit beside them as men hose the bigger boats off with water pumped from the lake.

The rain has cleared completely now, and the sun peaks brightly from the blue sky. It’s windy on the water, though, and Jared has to fight to hold the paper in place while he tries to read. The splashing of the water and flapping of the booth canvas is his soundtrack as he sips his coffee and finishes his bagel.

The almost quiet is broken by the sound of one of the steamboats’ whistles; it’s loud and scares the hell out of Jared as it echoes across the lake. He yelps and jumps, falls backwards off the wall. His face immediately heats up and he’s glad no one was able to hear his unmanly shriek over the sound of the whistle. He’s not so lucky, however, to have his fall go unnoticed.

“Nice. Awful form, but I give you at least an eight for the landing.”

Jared leans up on his elbows, looks up with a hand to shield his eyes from the sun outlining the person, the _girl_ standing in front of him. She’s smiling down at him, dimple creasing her left cheek. He huffs a laugh and lowers his hand, struggles to get up with his legs still hanging over the side of the wall. He scoots back to sit fully on the sidewalk and the girl thrusts her hand out to help him up.

“Thanks,” he says as he stands. He dusts off his pants and retrieves his paper and empty coffee cup before they can blow into the water. The girl is still standing there grinning at him when he turns back to her.

She’s blonde and pretty, shorter than him but that’s not anything unusual. She’s wearing jeans and what his sister would call a pair of ass-kicking boots, her leather jacket opened underneath a white regulation Steamboat Company polo shirt. Her hazel eyes still sparkle with laughter as she very obviously checks him out and he tries not to shift uncomfortably or blush too hard. He clears his throat and her eyes snap back up to his face, what she sees there only makes her grin widen.

“I’m Katie,” she says. She thrusts her hand out and he shuffles the paper and cup into one hand to take it again, shakes, and her grip is tight. She probably could kick his ass in those boots.

“Jared,” he replies before wrenching his hand free of her grasp. “I’m not usually so clumsy. My brother, though, he’s always tripping over himself or dropping things. There was one time he tripped over his shoe laces and landed headfirst into a door frame. We had to rush him to the emergency room for stitches and he cried the whole time. He was like, fifteen. It was hilarious.”

He stops talking when he realizes how much he’s actually saying and sighs. Katie cocks her head at him and folds her arms in front of her, her grin has softened now into a smile and she stands there waiting for him to go on.

“I’m sorry. I talk a lot. When I get nervous, I talk a lot. It’s really annoying.”

Jared’s never been really good with talking to girls, especially pretty ones. His verbal diarrhea has gotten him into some pretty bad situations before. Girls always look at him like he’s a freak to stay away from or some cute little animal they want to take home and feed. Which, admittedly, isn’t so bad. Because Jared likes food. But girls are supposed to think you’re hot, not mentally deficient or a stray puppy.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Katie shakes her head and starts walking again. “I think it’s cute, Jared,” she says as she passes by him. She turns to walk backwards, grinning full out again. “I hope you stumble over my path again soon.”

She turns back again and he watches her until she enters the ticket office for the steamboats. He smiles to himself, thinks maybe the entire encounter wasn’t a total loss if she wants to see him again. And she’s kinda cute, even with the glint in her eye that says she’s up to no good.

He smirks thoughtfully to himself and heads back across the street to his bike, dumping his trash in a can along the way. It’s still early, but the day’s already looking like it's going to go in his favor.

 

Jared spends the rest of the morning zooming around the lake on his bike. Tourist season has just started, so there aren’t too many people milling around. Jeff promises it’ll pick up by summer’s end though and Jared’ll probably have to ditch the bike altogether so he doesn’t run over anyone.

Late afternoon finds him walking the bike, feet achy from peddling so much. The sun is still out and it’s a lot warmer, but it’s not unbearable, not when the wind blows a cool breeze from the lake. He window shops from the sidewalk, knick-knacks and tee-shirts, commemorative shot glasses. It’s all very kitschy.

He does duck into one store quickly, a gaudy yellow building set between a tattoo parlor and a store devoted to nothing but mugs. The postcards are what caught his eye and he picks out ten at random before paying the dollar and heading back outside. His momma’ll kill him if he doesn’t write like he promised, even though he could just as easily pick up the phone.

A few doors down from the souvenir shop is a wax museum. Loud music screams from inside, a heavy bass that almost shakes the sidewalk. There are monsters in the windows; mouths open in a silent scream. In the second story window is a replica of the Phantom looking out over the street, his organ sitting behind him draped in heavy red curtains. The daylight bleeds in through the front door only far enough to illuminate the front desk and then it’s pitch black.

Jared hasn’t been in town long but he’d noticed the place when he’d first rolled through, Jeff pointing out the different locations as they drove through town to the cabin. He had never been to a wax museum before, and one comprised of all horror figures seemed pretty cool. He hasn’t worked up the nerve to go in yet, though.

A few people do venture inside, and the ones who come out are grinning and laughing, so it couldn’t be all that bad. But Jared’s never been a big fan of horror movies, never really liked being scared. Not that he’s a girl about it or anything. Though his brother likes to inform him that he screams like one.

A couple shuffles out, a girl clutches her boyfriends hand while her face is buried in his shoulder. She’s laughing though, and so is he, as they wander down the street. Jared watches them for a bit, until they merge with the rest of the tourists milling around. Then, all of the sudden, someone is crashing into him from behind, hard, and he bangs his knee into the spokes of his bike. He hisses in pain, but it passes quickly, no damage. When he looks up, he sees a guy hurrying up the sidewalk towards the museum, long hair covered by a tan cowboy hat.

He barely turns around when he spits a “Watch where you’re goin’, Kid,” at Jared before stomping through the open double doors of the museum. Jared watches as the guy grins to someone behind the front desk and then turns to pull them into a hug when they come around to greet him. The guy is taller than Cowboy Hat and he has to bend to give him a proper hug before straightening and slapping their hands together. The guy is in shadow but Jared can see the returning grin, the short cropped blonde hair. Can see that the guy is gorgeous. And that thought catches him off guard. He’s never really thought about guys like that (not _often_ anyway), but that’s the word he would use if he had to describe him.

When they step apart Cowboy Hat flicks a thumb in his direction, frowning, and they both turn to look at him. Jared shifts self-consciously and looks down, away. He doesn’t want to get into any kind of fights here; his momma would be disappointed and Jeff would kick his ass. When he looks up again they’re no longer looking at him, are no longer even in the doorway and Jared feels a slight pang of loss.

 _What the hell?_ He thinks to himself, because he doesn’t even know the guy. He certainly shouldn’t feel upset because he left with his friend. _Or his boyfriend_ , some part of Jared helpfully supplies. The thought has Jared grinning for reasons he’s not going to think about in the middle of a busy sidewalk.

He pushes the thoughts to the back of his mind and puts up the kickstand of his bike before climbing on. He doesn’t get the chance to move though, as someone steps out in front of him. And those boots look awfully familiar.

“Katie,” he says without looking up. When he does she’s grinning, eyes sparkling at him.

“Jared! Didn‘t think I‘d see you again so soon,” she replies. “And you’re standing, good job.”

Jared laughs and starts sit-walking the bike down the sidewalk, Katie following along beside him. He notices she’s got a bag in her hand from the sandwich shop across the street and figures she must be on break. His stomach rumbles at the thought, as it’s been a few hours since he’s eaten but he’s strapped for cash and he’s not about to ask this girl to share her food. It does give him an idea though.

“Hey,” he says and stops walking and turns sideways to look at Katie, who cocks a brow at him. “You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find a job, do you?”

While he doesn’t like the idea of working his summer away, he likes not having any money even less. Especially if it means mooching off of his brother. Besides, a few hours a day won’t kill him and it‘ll still leave him plenty of time to hang out and have fun.

“I might, and I‘ll tell you,” Katie replies, grinning. “On one condition.”

Jared blinks down at her, confusion creasing his brow. He secretly hopes she heard his belly rumble and is going to offer he share her lunch. It _is_ a pretty big sandwich and she doesn’t look like she eats much. He hopes it’s turkey. And maybe they could go back for chips or something.

“You have to take me out tonight.”

Wait, what?

“Huh?”

Katie grins wider and punches him in the shoulder, _hard_.

“It’ll be fun! Believe me,” she says. “I know how to have a good time. I get off work at six, meet me there okay?” She doesn’t wait for his reply, just gives him a small wave before turning and crossing the busy street, not even caring that there are cars zooming past and he once again watches her walk away.

Until his stomach rumbles again and he remembers he’s starving.

\---

It’s 5:45 and Jared’s got fifteen minutes to pick out something to wear and dress in order to be on time to meet Katie. He doesn’t want to call it a date, because he’s not sure if that’s what it is and he doesn’t want to be stupid. His nerves are all over the place and he has to keep wiping his palms on his boxers because they’re sweaty. And it’s weird, because it’s not like it would be his first date-if-that’s-what-it-is, he’s been out with girls before.

But he’s sort of the new guy in town and he wants to make a good impression with this girl. She’s pretty and seems smart, even though they haven’t had much to say to each other yet. And she hasn’t run screaming from him in disgust, so he might want to think about keeping her around for a while.

He has no idea where they’re going but he figures anything fancy is probably out of the question. He finally settles on a pair of khaki shorts and a Pink Floyd tee-shirt his sister had gotten him for his birthday a couple of years ago. It’s a little small, but tight in the right places, not to mention soft from so many washings. It’s probably his favorite shirt ever, even though he’s not really a fan of the band. Or has ever heard them at all, actually.

With less than ten minutes to go he swipes his hand through his hair a few times, throws his last two twenties into his wallet from his savings jar (and he _really_ hopes he gets that job Katie knows about) before he bounds down the stairs and yells to Jeff that he’s going out.

His brother had come home from work exhausted only an hour before and promptly crashed on the couch in the living room where Jared animatedly filled him in on his day. He’d perked up a little bit at the mention of a girl, long enough to tease Jared before Jared punched him in the stomach and stomped up to the bathroom to shower. His brother is still in the same spot when he heads out the front door.

He’s only a few minutes late when he pedals up, out of breath, to meet Katie. The village is a lot busier at night than he’d realized and he’d had to make a great attempt to not run anyone over, or get hit by a car himself. Katie doesn’t seem to mind, though as she’s grinning when he pulls up. Arms crossed over her chest as she leans against the building. She looks nice, not much different than when he’d seen her last, hair down and in sneakers this time, and what he is assuming is her ever present leather jacket. And with the cold wind whipping off of the lake, he kind of wishes he’d brought one too.

“Hey,” he says as he comes to a stop in front of her. He hops off the bike and looks around for a place to leave it.

“C’mon, you can leave that in here,” she says as she straightens and takes a ring of keys from her pocket. She unlocks the door of the building and motions for Jared to wheel the bike through. Inside is a couple of desks piled high with papers, the ticket machine whirring loudly in the corner. The wall is covered with various pictures through the years of the boats, the lake and village. There’s a door off to the side that probably leads to the rest of the building, but Katie grabs his hand and pulls him back outside before he can investigate further.

“Ready?” She asks after she’s locked the place back up again and pockets the keys. He nods and grinning, she grabs his arm and tugs. Her long legs eat up the side walk and he has to lengthen his stride to keep up with her. By the time they reach the top of the hill he’s winded.

“Where are we going?” He asks while they wait for the light to change so they can cross the street. The streets are packed full of people and music is playing somewhere, and with all the cars zooming past he has to almost-shout to be heard above it all.

“Mini-golfing!” She says excitedly. Her grip on his arm tightens as they cross the street quickly but she lets go when they reach the other side. Jared’s never been mini-golfing before but the village has at least three courses that he’s seen to choose from. A little excessive, but what does he know? One is plain, set up to look like a real golf course with sand traps and water hazards. The other is pirate themed, is hard to see for the large wrecked ship in the front and the other is mish-mash of fairy tale characters and dinosaurs, giant alligators and Humpty Dumpty. It’s the one Katie leads them to.

“Goofy Golf?” He questions as they approach the entrance. It’s built on top of a hill and they climb the winding steps, push their way through the turn-style. The spotlights are lit as the sun starts to set and they shine brightly over the crowded course. There are tons of people, families with little kids and groups of teenagers, adults by themselves - all playing rounds and even more standing in line waiting.

Katie turns to look at him when they finally reach the top step, “Don’t knock it. You‘ll have a good time, I promise.” She says.

“I’ve never played before,” he admits. Jeff plays regular golf sometimes, because it’s like a requirement once you become a doctor, but Jared has never gone. He’s watched a bit on T.V. and found it incredibly boring and he doesn’t think this is going to be much different. He doesn’t think shooting a tiny ball through a windmill going a thousand miles an hour is all that entertaining.

“It’s really not that hard,” she says. “And besides, it’s all about having fun, ok? It doesn’t matter whether you win or not. But, just so we’re clear here, you won’t win. I’m so going to kick your ass.” She grins at him before bouncing up to the booth to pay and get their clubs and balls. He laughs and follows, doesn’t even bother protesting because it’s probably true.

At the booth he stands behind her and waits for the guy to come back from where ever he wandered off to. When he does, the first thing Jared notices is the cowboy hat. He groans and internally curses his luck. He hopes the guy doesn’t remember him but it’s no use. When he finally gets to the window recognition crosses the guys face.

"Oh. It's you," he says blandly and Jared gives him a tight smile.

“Two, please,” Jared says in hopes of moving the conversation along. Of course that doesn’t work, because hello, awful luck remember?

“What, you’re not going to apologize for crashing into me earlier?”

“What?” Jared huffs, annoyed. That is not what happened. “You’re the one who knocked into me; I was just standing there --.”

“In the way.”

“-- minding my own business and you came out of nowhere.”

Katie sighs beside him and he looks down to see her scowling at Chris. Jared remembers the punch she threw earlier and makes a mental note to never make this girl angry.

“Stop being a jerk, Chris. Just give us our balls.”

Chris rolls his eyes but complies, though he does give them really short putters and neon pink balls for the both of them. Like that would bother Jared. He _likes_ pink. He makes a point to look annoyed, though, and thanks a smirking Chris before following Katie to the first hole. They pick up their score sheets and pencils from a box and wait their turn.

“Sorry about him,” Katie says. “He can be an ass sometimes.”

“How do you know him?” Jared asks before looking over his shoulder at Chris. The guy looks like he’s having trouble keeping up with the demand of mini-golfers but he never not has a smile for them. He didn’t have a smile for Jared. Frowning, he turns back to Katie who’s lining her ball up and taking aim.

“He’s my cousin,” she says and shoots. The ball zips off down the fairway and through the little bridge that’s the first hazard and bounces off the wall on the other side before plunking into the hole. Katie throws her hands up and cheers and shoots Jared a large grin. “He’s usually a good guy; something must have pissed him off. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

Jared nods and lines up for his shot. He takes a few practice swings, cracks his neck and checks his grip. He hit’s the ball a little too hard, aims wrong, and it bounces off the side of the bridge before shooting into the bushes. He sighs, straightens and Katie shoots him a sympathetic grin. Jared just lines up and tries again to the soundtrack of Chris laughing hysterically behind him from the booth.

 

So miniature golf sucks. If he never has to see another golf club again it’ll be too soon. After finally managing to get the ball into the cup on the first hole they’d moved onto the others. They went as well as the first one until hole nineteen couldn’t come any faster and Jared was frustrated, until he wanted to break his club over Chris’ smug face.

The last hole is a giant alligator, win a free game if you get the ball through the middle hole and there’s no chance in hell Jared will even get it up the ramp to the gator’s mouth so he just waits until Katie finishes. Hopes his grin doesn’t look as clenched as it feels.

She doesn’t seem to notice when she turns and cheers, ball going straight and plopping into the hole with a thunk. She throws her arms around his neck excitedly and he almost stumbles, turns red from the very loud alarm going off signaling she won a free game. He wraps an arm around her waist in a half hug.

“If you keep this up I’m going to have to ban you,” Chris says from behind them and Jared starts, quickly unwraps his arm from around Katie. Katie just rolls her eyes at her cousin before snatching the certificate from his hand.

“Whatever,” she says. “It’s not like anyone else can win these things with the way you’ve got it rigged.”

“Hey, shut up!” Chris hisses and looks around, fake-smiling while making sure no one heard Katie’s declaration. Satisfied that no one did he scowls at her and stomps away.

“Wait a second, Chris,” she says and grabs Jared’s hand to follow him. “You’re still looking for help, right?”

Jared stops in his tracks and wrenches his hand free from Katie’s grip. There’s no way in hell he’s working for a jerk like Chris. He’d rather stay poor and starve.

“Why? Collins finally smarten up and fire you?”

“ _No_ ,” she snaps back. “Jared’s looking for a job and I figured --”

“Nuh uh.”

“-- and I figured if you haven’t found anyone yet, you could hire him.” She smiles sweetly at him as they finally stop walking. Jared wonders if taking off and leaving her there would be bad form since they’re on a maybe-date.

“Come on, you saw how busy it was. You could barely keep your head up out there,” she pleads and Jared feels like an ass having this girl beg for him. He can get his own jobs, thank you very much.

“Look, you don’t have to do this,” he says. He closes the distance between them and looks at Katie. “It’s fine, really. I’ll just go somewhere else. After tonight, I don’t even like mini-golf.”

“You’re hired.”

“What?” Katie and Jared both ask at once, Katie excitedly and Jared. Not so much.

“You want a job, you got it. Be here at noon tomorrow and I’ll show you the ropes. You won’t be alone, so don’t worry about that. You’re legal, right?”

“I’m seventeen, but--”

“Good. Don’t be late.” Chris says, he grins but it’s malicious if Jared was to ever use that word and spins on his heal after taking their clubs from them.

Katie squeals and grabs his hand again, dragging him to the exit. Jared wants to stop and think for a second but Katie’s still walking and talking excitedly about his job and how much he’s apparently going to love it. He doesn’t know how he’s supposed to enjoy hanging out with an asshole for however many hours during the day, but he doesn’t say that, just smiles back at her when she turns to look at him.

“So uh, thanks?” He starts when they finally make it back to the Steamboat Company’s office. He’s not really sure what he’s thanking her for, since he had a horrible time but his momma raised him right, and really it’s not Katie’s fault that he’s awful at miniature golf.

“I had a good time tonight, Jared,” she says as she unlocks the door so he can get his bike. “And don’t worry about Chris, okay? His bark is worse and all that. He’s a nice guy once you get to know him.”

Jared just nods and smiles as he wheels his bike out. She keeps saying that but he’s not sure if he believes her yet. He’ll have to see it for himself. “Well thanks, again. I really needed the job.”

She grins at him and then the air changes and it’s suddenly awkward. He’s not sure what’s expected of him, whether or not she would try and deck him if he were to kiss her. She saves him the choice though, by leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“I hope we can do this again,” she says. And surprisingly enough, he does too. Maybe not the whole golfing thing, but something else. She was fun, even if their activity made him want to beat anyone he came in contact with with his putter. “You know where to find me.”

She waves at him and he smiles before peddling home.

\---

Jared’s first day of work goes like this:

Not so bad, actually. He’s on the 12 to 6 shift, because Chris doesn’t trust him yet to deal with a large crowd, but it’s still pretty busy. So much so that he doesn’t really have a lot of idle time, but it’s fine. He’s working with a guy named Aldis who takes his job and the game of miniature golf a little too seriously and it‘s after an hour of hearing about handicaps and how it‘s Aldis‘ dream to play at every mini-golf course in the country and oh yeah, did he mention he has a lucky club? that Jared decides to go clean the leaves from the water features.

“But that’s my task, Jared. You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” Jared says as he grabs a bucket and shovel from the supply closet. “Really, really want to.” Because he has to get out of the room before he screams.

Aldis gives Jared a weird look (which kind of pisses Jared off because _he’s_ not the one who’s been talking nonstop for the last 65 minutes and 41 seconds) then shrugs and turns back to color coordinating the golf balls. Jared sighs and hauls ass before he can start talking again and that’s where Katie finds him a half an hour later, sitting next to the hippo fountain getting soaked as he scrapes algae from the sides of the basin.

“Hi!”

Jared looks up and smiles at the now familiar form of Katie as she approaches. She’s carrying two bags from the same shop she’d gotten her lunch at yesterday and he wants to scoop her up in a hug in thanks. He won’t though, his hands are gross.

“I brought lunch.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Jared says as he stands. The hippo is clean enough, he concludes. And besides, it’s Aldis’ task anyway.

“I know,” Katie grins and holds up the sandwiches, leans in to whisper. “I figure I owe you one after not warning you about Hodge. He really likes his job.”

Jared groans before picking up the bucket and shovel and heading back to the office to wash up and clock out for his break. Jared’s never been accused of being a quiet person, but Aldis puts him to shame. Jared wouldn‘t mind if he would just switch topics. Or take a breath.

“Really? I hadn‘t noticed.”

Katie laughs and follows him, leans against the window as he goes into the staff room to clean his hands. He can hear her and Aldis talking but he can’t be sure what’s being said. Probably something about the number of dimples there are on each golf ball and how they’re significant to the speed and length of each hit, or something insane-driving like that. Jared hurries and washes his hands, clocks out before Katie flees with his sandwich.

“Ready?” He comes out just in time to interrupt Aldis who looks like he’s gearing up for a speech of epic proportions and Katie nods before waving at Aldis. Jared tells him he’ll be back in a half an hour and then they’re running down the stairs and away from Goofy Golf, laughing.

They don’t go far, plop down on a bench in front of the arcade and Katie hands over his bag; a sandwich and a bottle of water are its contents. It’s a nice clear day and from their seat they can see clear across the lake. Two of the boats are taking one of their hourly tours and the other will probably leave before Jared goes back to work. If he squints he can see the tourists lining up to board. Para-sailors are orange dots against a blue sky.

They eat in silence for a few moments, once Jared gets passed the first few bites and he stops moaning at the taste. They’re probably the best sandwiches he’s ever eaten, so he can’t really be blamed for them. Katie had grinned and nodded, called the guy who made them creepy, “He makes a mean sandwich though, even if he has crazy eyes.”

When they’re finished Jared gets up and throws their trash away. His watch says he’s got a little over ten minutes left and so he turns to go back to Katie but stops short when he sees his spot has been taken.

The guy from the wax museum, the one Chris had stopped to talk to, _the hot one_ Jared’s mind supplies helpfully, is sitting next to Katie. He’s practically draped over her as she laughs, blonde hair tossed back and mouth wide in delight. Jared frowns and is hit with something, jealousy maybe. But because he wants to be the one to make her laugh like that or because he wants to be the one laughing at what the other boy had said, Jared’s not sure.

He squashes the thought down quickly and then heads back to the bench. Katie has quieted to giggles now and when he stops in front of them the guy looks at him, eyes shiny with his own laughter. He smiles up at Jared, a little shy and Jared finds that odd with the way he’s still hovering over Katie. Since she’s Jared’s… whatever. He’s not sure yet. He smiles back anyway. Really couldn’t help it if he wanted to.

His even more gorgeous in person, in full daylight, than what he’d seen in the dark indoors of the museum. They’re a bright green with the longest lashes Jared has ever seen on anyone, let alone another guy. There’s a smattering of freckles off the bridge of his nose, his cheeks and when he turns to look at Katie Jared can see there’s even some in his ear. If he wanted to, which he wouldn’t and won’t even under penalty of death, he’d say they were adorable.

“Jared, I’d like you to meet Jensen,” Katie says, laughter completely gone now but she’s grinning. “He’s a friend of Chris’.”

“Not a friend of yours, though?” Jensen asks Katie.

“You know I haven’t been able to stand you for years,” she replies.

Jensen’s eyes take on mock-hurt but his grin is all teasing, “Right, then how do you explain your little crush on me?”

Katie scoffs and smacks him in the shoulder, pushes him away, says _you wish_ and Jensen scoots back a little, says he knows. Jared feels like an outsider, watching them from the fringe. He wonders if they’d notice if he slinked back off to work.

“Anyway,” Jensen says, looking at Jared now. His gaze is intense, studying, and Jared heats under it. “Nice to meet you, Jared.”

Jared’s tongue sits uselessly in his mouth. He wants to say something smart and witty, wants to say anything _at all_ but he can’t so he just smiles and nods like an idiot. His face flushes even more during the awkward silence that follows.

“Okay, well, I better get back to work,” Jensen says after a few seconds of quiet torture. He stands and when he passes Jared their arms brush a little and Jared jerks back in surprise. Katie shoots him a look but he flicks his gaze away and prays she doesn’t call him on it. How can he explain being a freak?

Jensen doesn’t seem to notice though, so thank God for small favors.

“I’ll see you guys around,” he says. “Jared.”

Jared looks up at his name and Jensen is looking at him, almost expectantly. Jared opens his mouth to speak and he manages to sputter a goodbye. Jensen grins at him before leaving with a little wave to both of them.

After he’s gone Jared falls back down on the bench and tries to figure out in his ridiculous brain what the hell just happened.

“So, that was Jensen.” Katie says and Jared just nods. He has no idea what just happened and he can’t even begin to explain it to her. When he looks up she’s staring at him, eyes sparkling with something he’s not sure of. She looks like she knows something he’s not privy to. It makes him squirm.

“I uh,” he starts. His mouth is dry and the words come out croaked. He feels stupid and he wants to get away from everyone for a little while so he can wrap his head around why he just acted like a complete jackass. He shakes his head, swallows, and tries again.

“I should get back to work,” that comes out a little better and he stands. Katie doesn’t though, just nods and looks up at him. “Thanks for lunch, it was great.”

Katie grins, hand over her eyes to block out the sun that’s burning hot on Jared’s neck. He doesn’t think she’ll say she wants to see him again this time and he can’t really say he blames her. He doesn’t really want to be around himself right now. He can’t say that he’s disappointed either, and that’s something else entirely.

“My pleasure, Jared,” she says and he tries not to feel disappointed in himself that he doesn‘t feel worse when she doesn‘t say more. “You better go before you’re late. Chris won’t think twice about firing you, and I don’t need to hear his Told You So’s,” she grins and he feels bad suddenly. Chris is her cousin and he might take it out on her that Jared is a screw up. That he may also have just ended things with her in some weird twisted way, before they‘d even really gotten started. He wants to apologize, but he isn’t sure what for so he keeps his mouth shut.

Instead he waves too, turns and heads back to work, leaving Katie on the bench, watching him walk away this time. He doesn’t even mind it when he gets there and Chris scowls at him for being a minute late, when Aldis starts talking again. He’s too busy thinking about green eyes and freckles to care.

\---

The next couple of days go pretty much the same as the first, minus the freak out. Aldis has calmed down a lot and Jared is thankful; he can actually get a word in edgewise now. Chris pops in during the mornings to see how Jared is doing, to call them a bunch of chattering hens and tell them to shut the hell up and do their jobs, before heading back out again. He covers the nightshift with another new person Jared hasn’t met yet so he doesn’t stay long. Katie was right though, whatever had been eating at him he seems to have gotten over, for the most part. He’s still an ass though.

He gets to work with Chris again on Friday. He’s scheduled for the night shift and Chris is there to make sure he “doesn’t fuck up.” He’s in a good enough mood though so Jared ignores it and focuses on his tasks. New Girl, Allison, flitters next to Jared all smiles and kind words to the customers. In the down time between them they chat and Jared finds he quite likes her. She‘s nice and tiny, gives Chris just as good as their boss dishes out and Jared has to hide his grin behind a hand so he doesn‘t get fired.

About an hour or so into their shift Chris retreats to his office and leaves the two of them alone. Jared knows that it’s going to get a lot busier but figures Chris does too, wants to see how well the two of them can handle it. Jared would assume it’s merely for the safety of the business, but he’s met the man and wouldn’t doubt he’s sitting back there laughing in anticipation of their fail.

They don’t have to wait long, either, before a large group wanders in. Allison takes the window to pass out clubs and balls and Jared takes the money. There’s some confusion and traffic is backed up for a minute while Jared recounts change but they quickly find their stride and get the group out and onto the course in no time.

When the last customers, a couple of kids who look no older than thirteen (and who probably shouldn‘t be allowed in without an adult, but they looked harmless enough to Jared), bound down the steps to the first hole Jared turns to Allison, grinning and they high five. Allison lets out a whoop of excitement but then quickly covers her smiling face with her hand and looks towards Chris’ door cautiously before they both break out into peels of laughter.

It slows down for a while after that, Jared watches over the course for a little while to make sure no damage is being done and that people are playing by the rules. Satisfied that there isn’t any trouble Jared heads back and finds Allison pacing and wringing her hands. He rushes up, grabs her arms to stop her and asks her what’s wrong.

“I just,” she stammers, her face red. “Chris and…”

Jared shakes her a little and she glares at him when he does it so he stops, lets go.

“What happened?” He asks. She sighs, and then leans in to whisper.

“I saw him and, some guy. They were, y’know,” she stops and mouths the last few words and Jared has no idea what she said. Asks again.

“They were having sex!”

It takes a second for the words to register and then _oh_. And he doesn’t want to but he thinks of Jensen and the way he hugged Chris a week ago, how he had wondered even at the time if there wasn’t anything more to it than just friendship. A fire blooms in the pit of his stomach and he stamps down the urge to run in there. He doesn’t even know if Jensen is into guys. Even if it is Jensen, what right does he have? And also, the other half of that pairing is Chris so. Ew.

“There’s not enough brain bleach in the world,” she mumbles and goes to sit down. “He’s our boss, how am I supposed to look him in the eye after this?”

“Um, duck?” Jared tries for funny but it comes out sounding flat and he can’t seem to take his eyes away from Chris’ office door. He hears Allison snort, though, so it must have sounded better than he thought.

A second or so later the office door opens and Jared turns hastily to pretend like he wasn’t just staring it down like it owed him something. He ends up knocking a bunch of clubs onto the floor and he bends to pick them up.

“If you bent any of those, they’re coming out of your check.”

Chris comes to hover next to him and Jared keeps his eyes on the man’s dirty tennis shoes even as he stands, only looking away to put the clubs back on the shelf. There are footsteps behind him that are much too heavy to be Allison’s and Jared tenses, scolds himself for being stupid.

“Go easy on him, Chris,” the newcomer says. In a voice that is no where near that of Jensen’s. He manages to fight back the sigh of relief that wants to escape, but he does grin. When he turns Chris is scowling at him, but that’s not anything new and the other man, a few inches taller than Chris sports a gap-toothed grin. His hair is shoulder length and bleached blonde from too much time in the sun. Looks like he stepped straight out of California.

“Don’t let him give you any trouble, Kid,” the guy says. Jared feels his lips pull up into a smile as Chris directs his glare to the man at his side instead. “He might act all bad, but he’s really a pussy cat.”

“Shut up, Steve.” Chris grits and Steve grabs him around the shoulders to drag him into a headlock. Jared chuckles as Chris tries to struggle away, earns a one fingered salute from his boss for his efforts.

Chris finally breaks free, hair a mess and red faced, punches Steve in the side. “Get outta here,” he says to Steve and Steve mock pouts at him. He quickly stops though when Chris glares again, puts his hands up in defeat and backs towards the exit.

“Nice to meet you guys,” he says as he gets to the door, points at Allison and says, “Especially you,” and it makes her blush as he laughs and leaves.

It’s quiet for all of ten seconds and then Jared and Allison burst out laughing. Chris scowls, tells them both to get back to work and then stomps off back to his office, slamming the door behind him.

\---

Allison is on break and Chris has come back out of his office to help Jared. Jared’s gotten the hang of it at this point and handles the rush well, earns an approving nod from Chris. They work in silence for a few minutes as the crowd dies down and shuffles away, but it isn’t awkward or strained. It’s companionable; something Jared didn’t think was possible.

Jared watches Chris out of the corner of his eye, how he smiles and jokes with the customers, how he makes sure to ask the littler kids what color ball they want. It’s a side Jared didn’t think Chris had and he doesn’t even feel the need to tease him about it. Mostly because he likes his kneecaps.

Jared is un-packaging new balls while Chris mans the window. He’s pretty sure Chris only set him to that task because he’d laughed at him, as they have plenty of golf balls to go around and it couldn’t be any more boring. But he thinks he’s lucked out because Allison is back from break after fifteen minutes and is cleaning the bathrooms. Jared had been in the men’s room earlier, it wasn’t exactly lemony fresh.

The cash register dings shut behind him after Chris rings up an older couple, the man dressed to the nines as if he's actually on a golf course. Jared looks at the clock hanging on the wall and sighs, still another two hours before closing. If there's anything he hates about having a job, it's how much of his time it's actually taken away. He hadn't anticipated having to work so much, especially Friday and Saturday night's. Back home he'd gone out every weekend with friends; to parties or the diner down on Main where they'd stay past midnight eating fries and goofing off.

He misses his friends. He doesn't have any here and Jeff is always busy at the hospital. Katie had programmed his number into her phone after their date but she hasn't called him since that lunch fiasco. He hasn't worked up the nerve to call _her_ , though he's wanted to. Has wanted to call her and ask her out, has wanted to do something to make it up to her and prove to himself that he could have a girlfriend. To get Jensen out of his head.

And that's it, right there. Ever since that day he'd stopped in front of the wax museum he hasn't been able to get the man out of his head. And then he'd made a complete idiot out of himself when Jensen had shown up after lunch. He makes sure to take the long way to work, goes down the side streets instead of Williams where the shops sit.

And if he’s honest with himself it isn’t just the embarrassment that he keeps thinking about. He sees green eyes and freckles and short dirty blonde hair instead of the hazel eyes of Katie, her long blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. When he lays down at night Jensen is what comes to mind. When he steps in the shower and he lengthens and fills in his hand it isn‘t the soft curves of Katie or any other girl that gets him off. It‘s the hard lines of Jensen, and that freaks Jared out.

It’s not like he was never curious, like he has never checked out another guy in the locker room at school while they’re changing or paid a little more attention to the male in some random soft core on cable instead of the girl. He has. But he’s never come to the thoughts of another man before and he’s not sure what it means. If it has to mean anything at all.

He’d just like to put it all out of his mind, but of course he’s never had that kind of luck.

“Hey.”

Jared turns at the sound of Jensen’s voice and watches as he and Chris slap each other hello. He turns back and tries to fade into the wall and calm his racing heart.

“You coming tonight?”

“I don‘t know, man,” Chris says. “I’ve got some new kids, got to make sure they don’t burn the place down.”

“Come on, Chris. You’ve known about this for weeks,” Jensen sounds annoyed, but pleading. “It’s the last time he‘ll be performing.”

Chris doesn’t reply and Jensen sighs in frustration.

"Hey, Jared?"

Jared looks up from where he's putting the balls away and towards the boy, towards _Jensen_.

"You can come too if you want," Jensen says and Jared stutters. He does want; he wants to hang out with this guy and his friends. He wants to get to know him.

"He has to work," Chris snaps his answer for Jared and Jared feels himself deflate. He goes back to his task and resolutely ignores the sting of disappointed tears in his eyes.

"Don't be a dick, Chris; you can close up early tonight." Jared hears Jensen hiss and then louder, to Jared. "Make sure you come, okay?"

Jared looks to Chris to see if he's angry. He would love to hang out with these guys, if they'd have him - and surely it seems Jensen wants him there? - but he needs the job more, and he doesn't want to piss Chris off. Chris just rolls his eyes though, huffs.

"Fine," he says. "But you‘re gonna do whatever I tell you to tomorrow, no excuses. You got me?"

Jared nods violently, but then stops because he’s sure he looks like a lunatic. He settles for a grin instead and that’s good because Jensen grins back at him. It’s nice, Jared thinks, Jensen’s smile. He wants to make Jensen smile a lot like that, maybe.

Jensen taps his hands against the window and backs up, says, “All right, I’ll see you guys later. Chris, you can show Jared the way.”

Chris rolls his eyes again and Jensen grins, winks at Jared and then leaves. Jared stares after him until Chris snorts and Jared flicks his eyes to his boss.

“He likes you,” he says. “Don’t know why, but consider yourself lucky.”

Jared does.

\---

Lakeview Restaurant and Bar sits, oddly enough, overlooking the lake. There’s a marina attached and there are chairs and benches, the same Barnegat binoculars that line the lake for tourists. Pay a quarter and you can see for miles. The restaurant is four stories tall, outside decks on each level that do _not_ look safe. The music is loud and blaring and can be heard two blocks in all directions. It sounds live, like rock and electronic and techno all rolled into one. Jared can’t make out the words that are being said but he can tell the guy singing is amazing even before he gets inside.

Chris weaves them through the crowd -and there’s a large one- up a couple of flights of stairs to the very top floor. Each level has a wall of windows that opens out onto the lake and in the dying light Jared can see the speedboats that bob inactive, or zoom past with water skiers behind.

The top floor is an open plan, set up almost like a club but still holds tables for diners. There’s a small bar on one side lined with stools, Jared watches the tenders putting on a show for a second until Chris drags him away. There’s stage in the center with a dance floor, bodies crashing into each other.

Chris pushes through and heads to a long table in the corner, it erupts in cheers when the occupants see his and Chris’ arrival. Jared stands there grinning and looking around, he doesn’t recognize anyone except Steve, who smiles and waves him over. Chris is greeting everyone so Jared wanders over to sit next to Steve, who holds out his hand for Jared to shake.

“Don’t think we were properly introduced, Kid,” Steve says when Jared sits. Jared shakes his head no and offers his name. Steve nods in Chris’ direction and says, “Hope he didn’t give you a hard time after I left.”

“Nah, it’s cool,” Jared says and it is. Chris a jerk but he’s a good guy and Jared likes working for him. Chris comes over then and sits next to Steve, grabs a few fries from his plate and talks around the mush in his mouth.

“Talking about me?”

“Yes,” Steve says and smiles before leaning over and kissing is cheek. Chris pushes him away roughly but Jared can see the soft look in his eye anyway.

Jared spends the next few minutes listening to the conversations around him. He gets introduced to everyone, Tom and Mike (who, Jared thinks, looks slightly insane), Chad and his girlfriend Sophia (who, Jared thinks, looks like she could do way better). Through all these introductions and the stories that Jared feels like he’s invading, he doesn’t see Jensen. His name gets tossed around a few times but no one ever says where he is, and Jared won’t ask even though he thinks it’s weird, since he was the one who invited Jared in the first place.

“So Jay,” Chad starts and Jared frowns at the nickname. Chad doesn’t seem to notice, continues, “You work with Chris?”

Jared nods, “Yup.”

“That sucks,” Chad replies and Chris calls him an asshole. “I work at the fort,” he jerks his thumb behind him like said fort is at the next table over. It’s actually across the street from the Steamboat Company’s office. Sits brown and looming on the hill and every hour on the hour Jared hears the replica canon being shot, and it scares the hell out of him each time.

"What is your job, exactly?" Steve asks.

"He doesn't even know himself,” Sophia replies and grins, eyes shining as she looks at Chad.

"Hey, I’m an historical re-enactor. I am educating the masses, man. People look up to me, they expect me to teach them the ways of the --"

"You just like your job because you don't have to wear pants, you perv."

Everyone laughs and Jared takes a sip of the customary water on the table around a smile. The banter is easy and fun and Jared starts to feel himself relax. Asks “What do the rest of you do?”

“Musician,” Steve replies and Jared can’t say he’s surprised. He’d like to hear the man perform one day, hopes he gets the chance. Sophia works in a souvenir shop and _struggles with not strangling a tourist with a t-shirt at least once a day_.

“I’ve got a normal job, thank god.” Tom says. Everyone either groans or rolls their eyes at him.

“Tommy thinks he’s better than everyone because he works in some stuffy office now,” Mike says. “He forgets that he used to be a mascot for the kiddie theme park, ay Will the Wolf?”

Tom blushes and doesn’t say anything, Jared takes pity on him and asks Mike what he does.

“I am the proud owner and operator of Opera House, the Lake’s one and only horror wax museum,” Mike says and then cackles in what Jared assumes is supposed to be scary. “Ever been?”

“No, not yet.”

“What!?” Mike looks genuinely offended and then leans forward with a grin, says, “You stop by soon, it’s not so scary. I promise I won’t turn you into one of my exhibits.”

Mike laughs again and so does everyone else, but Jared merely smiles. He thinks Mike just might be crazy enough to do it. Jared jerks a little when a warm hand lands on his shoulder, warm breath ghosts over his neck and Jensen’s voice hits his ear.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t let him anyway,” he says and Jared leans back, to the side to turn and look at him. Jensen’s grin splits his face and Jared smiles back, mumbles thanks and then Jensen pats him on the shoulder before letting go. Jared misses the warmth as soon as it’s gone.

Jensen squeezes by him and sits to his left on the other side of the table. Jared finds that he’s happy to see him. He tries not to stare at the other boy as he says his hellos but it’s difficult.

The music stops suddenly and then someone, Jared assumes the singer, is saying his thanks to the crowd, that he’s had an amazing time playing and that he’ll miss the place. There’s a round of applause, loud cheering and Jensen whistles beside him. Jared claps along even though he has no idea what’s going on.

Chris snaps his fingers a moment later, once it’s finally quieted down and then he’s shouting to a waitress. Katie comes up, looking frazzled and carrying a stack of round trays and scowls down at her cousin.

“I know you didn’t just do that,” she says annoyed.

“Whatever, go get me a beer wench.”

Sophia lets out a disgusted sound at the same time that Katie does and Chris has the decency to look frightened before Katie swats him with her stack of trays.

“Ouch! What the hell, Katie?!”

“Get your own damn beer, you jerk.” She turns and walks away and Chris rubs at his shoulder before turning to Jared.

“Go,” Chris says and Jared rolls his eyes before pushing his chair back. He wants something besides water anyway, wants to talk to Katie. He figures that now is as good of a time as any to face the music.

He walks towards the bar and finds Katie at the register, counting out her receipts. She looks annoyed and he has second thoughts about saying anything. She did look like she hit Chris pretty hard.

“Hey, Jared.” She smiles a little but doesn’t look up from her receipts.

“Hey,” Jared clears his throat and shifts nervously. “How’ve you been?”

It’s probably the most that awkward he’s ever felt.

“Good! I’m sorry I haven’t called, I’ve been really busy.” She finishes counting her receipts and opens the register to deposit the cash in her apron and then turns to pull a Heineken for Chris and Coke for Jared, who smiles in thanks when she pushes them towards him. “I’ll put it on his tab,” she says.

“So Mike said that he owns the wax museum and I told him I haven’t been in there yet, which I haven’t and I don’t want him to think I’m like, a chicken or anything so I was thinking about going do you want to go too?”

He says it all in one breath and he’s not even sure if it made any sense but she’s grinning and nodding, so he figures she caught some of it.

“I’d love to. I’ve got another shift tomorrow night but how about Sunday?”

“Sounds great,” Jared replies. It doesn’t, actually. He hadn’t even intended on asking her to go but he opened his mouth and it just kind of fell out. He can’t take it back now, though.

“We’ll go during the day though, so you’re not so scared,” she grins at winks at him and he laughs. He grabs his drinks and tells her he’ll call her tomorrow before turning and heading back to the table. He hands Chris his drink but when he gets back to his seat he sees it’s already occupied.

"You're not going to forget me, are you?" Jared recognizes the voice as the one who’d been singing and he tries to edge closer to listen without being obvious about it. The guy’s dark haired and his eyes are as bright a blue as Tom’s; popping more from the eyeliner he’s wearing. Dressed to the nines in black slacks and button down shirt under a pin-striped vest, white tie unknotted at his throat, he’s class with a side of scene kid in the best possible way.

"I'll be vacuuming glitter out of my carpet for the next three years, there's not a chance in hell I'll forget your ass."

"Well if it's just my ass you'll remember, I guess I did somethin' right." The guy grins, perfect white teeth set in a cocky, crooked smile. And then he leans over and plants a smacking kiss on Jensen’s lips and Jared kind of maybe wants to punch him until his teeth are no longer straight.

Which, that, catches Jared a little off guard because usually, he’s very non-violent. But then Jensen has been making him think and feel things he doesn’t normally since he first laid eyes on him, so he shouldn’t be surprised. And at least he’s got _one_ question answered.

He looks away at the first hint of tongue between the two of them and when he does he catches Steve’s eye. Steve winks and Jared flushes before deciding the pattern on the restaurant’s carpet is very interesting.

After what seems like forever they finally pull back and the guy stands, announces to the table that he’ll see them all later before leaving. Jared stands there for a moment or two, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot before deciding fuck it, and goes to sit back down.

“So,” he says, peels the label off of his soda for something to do, to not have to look at Jensen. “That was the guy on stage, right? He was pretty good.”

Jensen shifts beside him and his knee bangs into Jared’s thigh as he turns to face Jared and Jared tries his damndest not to flinch away from it. He sneaks a look at Jensen’s face and his eyes are soft, a wistful smile playing at his kiss swollen lips.

“He is, right?” Jensen asks and Jared nods, waits. “That was Adam, he’s my. Well, he _was_ my roommate.”

“Among other things,” Chris mumbles and Jared flushes again. He’s actually getting tired of that.

“Shut up, Chris.” Jensen says, then to Jared, “We fool around sometimes, it’s not a big deal.”

Jared just nods and takes a sip of soda. The acid from the bubbles burn his nose and the syrup sits thick on his tongue even after he swallows. He kind of wants to run away.

“He’s leaving?”

“Yup, goin’ to California. Wants to be a star,” Jensen says. “Will be.”

“Well, I’m sorry… for your loss.”

Chris snorts and Jared sees Steve shift. The ow and following glare from Chris is pretty telling and Jared really, really wants to run away.

“Thanks,” Jensen says and Jared looks at him to see Jensen looking back. He’s smiling but there’s no humor in it, he’s not mocking and Jared’s thankful. Smiles back. “It’s no big deal, really. I’ll find another roommate.”

Jared nods, doesn’t ask _what about finding another boyfriend_? like he wants to. Not his business, and why should he care anyway?

“So, what‘s your story Jared?” Jensen asks and takes a sip of his beer. Jared watches the way his lips lock over the rim of the green bottle. He coughs lightly and looks away.

“Not much to say. Staying with my brother for the summer before I head off to college,” he says. “You already know where I work.”

“College, huh? You’re what, eighteen?”

Jared shakes his head no, says, “Seventeen,” and then regrets the word as soon as it leaves his mouth when Jensen frowns.

“Ah.”

“But I’ll be eighteen in three weeks,” Jared stutters but Jensen sips his beer, hmms and Jared feels himself deflate. Jensen must feel weird about him being so young, all of his friends are older, _Adam_ is older and Jared can still be viewed as a kid. He understands, but it still stings a little.

Jensen doesn’t brush him aside though, they still chat. Jensen makes sure to include him on the conversations for the rest of the night and it eases Jared’s mind a little. If he had been too freaked out by it then surely Jensen would be talking to the rest of the guys and not him. Of course he could just be doing it because he’d invited Jared and doesn’t want him to feel left out but Jared doesn’t want to think about that.


	2. Part 2

  
Katie’s shift ends at ten but she only sits with them for a few minutes before she’s gone again. He realizes after she leaves that he doesn’t know why she works so much, doesn’t know anything about her at all. And he should, he should _want_ to. But he’d rather sit and listen to Jensen.

Katie’s leaving sets the stage for everyone else and Jared says his goodbyes to his new friends as they trickle out one by one. Chris warns him again to not give him any lip when he gets to work tomorrow but he’s smiling and half drunk so Jared just nods and waves as Steve drags him away.

He hasn’t seen Adam since his and Jensen’s earlier impromptu tonsillectomy but he doesn’t ask where he might be in case Jensen decides to go looking for him. Jensen stands and stretches beside him and Jared does _not_ stare at the strip of skin exposed (even though it’s right there at eye level so he’d have an excuse if he wanted to). They’re the only two left from their little motley crew filled table and Jared gets the feeling that Jensen is itching to leave himself, so he stands as well. He doesn’t want to be the last one there, sitting alone.

“Hey,” Jensen says and elbows Jared to get his attention. When Jared looks over Jensen cocks a brow and nods his head towards the door. “Walk me home?”

Jared smiles and nods and Jensen leads the way back down the stairs and outside. The lake is lit by tiny Christmas lights strung up on posts along the shore, by the restaurants and motels that line its bank. There’s music playing, different kinds and different beats but it all flows together, in Jared’s opinion. There are people laughing and talking and it follows them as they walk slowly. They’re quiet for a moment, but it’s not awkward like it usually is.

Jared notices that they’re going in a completely different direction than Jeff’s place and it’ll take him a while to get home, but he doesn’t care. Their shoulders brush as they walk but Jensen doesn’t pull away or look uncomfortable, so Jared doesn’t either.

“So,” Jensen breaks the silence and Jared looks up at him expectantly. “Tell me about yourself, Jared.”

“What do you want to know?”

Jensen thinks for a second before shrugging, says, “What’s your favorite movie?”

“Good Will Hunting,” Jared answers without skipping a beat and when Jensen scrunches his nose up Jared laughs, “What?”

“Isn’t that about math or some shit?” Jared nods, says so, and Jensen continues. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I don’t know. I just thought you were a guy and would like movies with explosions and car chases.”

Jared huffs in mock-offense and shoves Jensen a little, he laughs and side-steps off of the sidewalk and into the street before righting himself and falling back into place by Jared.

“Ass,” Jared says around a laugh. “I like explosions and car chases, too, I just happen to enjoy intellectual films as well.”

“Ahuh. You just have a crush on Ben Affleck.”

Jared’s head jerks up from where he’s watching his feet and towards Jensen. Jensen’s looking back at him, grinning and his eyes are teasing but something else too that Jared can’t place. He doesn’t dwell on it, though.

“Actually,” he says, “I prefer Robin Williams; I’d take a sense of humor over good looks any day.”

Jensen barks out a laugh and shakes his head and Jared grins and feels himself relaxing, easing into their walk and conversation. They chat back and forth the rest of the way, Jared learns Jensen’s favorite movie, ( _“Cool Hand Luke.” “Because Luke is a badass without a care?” “No, because Paul Newman takes his shirt off.”_ ), their favorite music and food (Jensen: steak, Jared: _anything_ ). They swap stories back and forth and it’s nice and comfortable and Jared thinks he’s maybe having the best time since he got to the Lake.

When they finally reach Jensen’s house, Jared’s telling him a story about Jeff trying to impress the little blonde girl who lived across the road with honey from the hive hanging from the tree in her yard and ended up getting chased by the bees, screaming and crying until their daddy heard and ran across the street, grabbing him up and throwing him in the pond behind their house.

“He never did get to ask her out. He showed up to school the next day covered in stings and watched her eat lunch with Kris Allen instead.”

Jared finishes and Jensen’s got his head thrown back, laughter bright and clear to the sky and Jared stops laughing himself to stand there and watch, breath caught in his throat. He’s pretty sure Jensen’s laughter is the most amazing thing he’s ever heard.

When Jensen calms down, breath hitching as he wipes the back of his hand over his face to clear his eyes he climbs the steps to his door and turns back to Jared.

"You want to come in for a few?" Jensen asks. Jared is tempted to say yes, but it's probably not the best idea. He'll take the invite as a nod in his favor though, happy to see that Jensen is fine with him being there, in his house.

"Thanks but, I should get goin'," he says. "My brother's a worrier, he's worse than my mom."

Jensen chuckles and nods, says, "I know how that goes, man. Got an older brother myself." He licks his lips and Jared follows the action, blushes when he's caught. Jensen only grins at him.

"I'll see you, Jay." Jensen says.

Jared nods, whispers _see ya_ and turns to head home. He forces himself not to look back but he's pretty sure he can feel Jensen's gaze on him until he rounds the corner.

\---

Jared’s got Sunday off. Goofy Golf is closed on Sunday’s so it works out well for him and his date with Katie. He’s supposed to meet her up at one so he putters around the cabin for a bit in the morning before showering, dressing and then finally heading out.

He’d gotten his first check so he’s looking forward to actually being able to pay this time, maybe take her out for ice cream afterwards. Chris had kept his promise yesterday and Jared ended up doing all of his designated tasks and Aldis’, plus all of the things Chris had been meaning to do for months but never got around to. Jared was exhausted by the time he got home, barely managed to get his shoes off before landing face first on his bed and falling asleep.

Katie is waiting for him in front of Opera House and he takes a second to look at her. He knows he’s only been out with her once, maybe twice if you count lunch, but he thinks he should be feeling something for her now. Something other than friendship. There is no spark between them, and there’s supposed to be isn’t there?

He’s had girlfriends before. Okay, girl _friend_ but it had lasted almost two years and every time he looked at Sandy he still got that same tingly dropping feeling in his gut that he did when he first saw her, and he thinks that’s a pretty good indication. But there isn’t anything like that when he looks at Katie like he knows there should be.

And maybe he isn’t trying hard enough. Maybe he’s spending too much time thinking about what’s wrong instead of focusing on what’s there. There’s still time to fix things. It’s not like he doesn’t like her at all, he does. And those feelings could always develop into more. Isn’t that what all those chick flicks are about?

He sighs and stalks up to Katie, determined. It never hurt to try, he thinks. And if they end up only being friends then he can live with that.

“Hey!” He says as he gets close enough that she can hear him. She’s facing away but turns to him when she hears him, grin in place.

“Hey, you,” she replies and then there’s an awkward moment where Jared’s not sure if he should hug her or kiss. She laughs and rolls her eyes before taking his hand and leading him into the Opera House. Maybe things would go a lot easier if he lets her take control all the time, he thinks.

The music is as loud as it always is, but Jared notices the screams and laughter underneath it. Some of them are real, while some of it is the soundtrack. Someone else is selling tickets today and Jared wonders if Jensen’s got the day off or if he’s somewhere else in the building. The place is decorated like some cliché horror movie set, fake cobwebs in the corner and dummies set up around a long oval table in what looks to him like a mock up of a tea party. They’re all dressed in their dusty best, rotten flesh covered in polyester suits and dresses.

Jared’s stomach starts to knot after they’ve read the rule board and he steps up to the turn style that will get them through to the entrance of the exhibit. Katie slips her hand into his again and he tells himself he will not be a chicken shit.

Once they’re through the first door everything is pitch black and he can’t see a foot in front of him. They have to feel their way down the corridor, hands out and he knows if he touches anything that isn’t a wall he’s going to scream. He can feel his hands start to sweat and Katie’s probably going to let go soon and that will not be good. He can’t see anything and the only sound is their harsh breathing and the mutters and curses of the other guests behind and in front of them. Someone laughs and Jared doesn’t know what’s so damn funny.

His heart starts to race and then they round a corner and then there’s suddenly light. Nothing too bright, but the overheads are enough to see by, enough to calm him. He looks down at Katie and she’s grinning like that was the greatest thing ever.

“Fun, right?” She whispers up at him and he only nods, he doesn’t even care if she can see it.

There are tiny windows along the length of the hallway and they stop to peer into them. The little red Push Here To Play buttons light up the room when pushed and inside each one are various wax figures; Lizzie Borden leaning over her father with a bloody axe, Frankenstein and his monster, other urban legends and monster movie alum. Some of the buttons play a story when they’re pushed and they stand and listen to the tale of Doctor Jekyll, watch as his face transforms into Mr. Hyde.

Jared feels himself relax, finds this part enjoyable. But he can hear the screams up ahead and he knows they’re in for something big. One of the rules was to not touch any of the actors and they won’t be touched in return and it has Jared wondering just what it is that they’re in for.

He and Katie round the corner and through a door, along with a couple of other people who had been poking along behind them and they find a girl standing in the middle of the room. She’s wearing a cape and a fearful look, and then asks in a shaky (obviously fake British accented) voice if the last person in line could close the door. The room is thrown into black again and Jared’s getting really tired of not being able to see.

The girl tells everyone to line up against the wall and then she starts in on a story of how the Opera House came into existence. It had originally been planned as a theatre for the Creator’s wife but she had passed before she’d gotten the chance to see it.

“The Creator went mad with grief, as one does. He couldn’t bare the thought of being alone so he set up a waxworks in the basement. His wife was first, and then anyone who came to visit after.

“The authorities figured it out eventually, but by then it was too late. He’d taken his own life, trying to turn himself into a wax figure so he could be with his wife forever. It’s said his spirit still haunts the place.”

As soon as she gets done speaking a strong wind blows across the group, the scent of decay thick on it. Jared covers his mouth and nose with his hand to block the smell but it’s gone as quickly as it had come.

“We shouldn’t stay here too long,” she says. “Follow me.”

The lights brighten a little and they trudge after her, warily on Jared’s part. He really hopes no one jumps out at them. Along the way they see giant tubs, wax flowing over the sides and the sound of hot wax bubbles away on the soundtrack. Jared can definitely see Mike getting into something like this. He’s probably going to avoid him from now on.

“I’ll be leaving you here,” the tour guide says and stops abruptly. “Continue on your journey and perhaps we’ll meet up again.”

She ushers them through a door and it leads through to a room set up like a prison. There are gated cells with bars on the windows and peering through them Jared sees more wax figures, lying prone on bunks or chained to the wall. The last cell they pass someone jumps up towards the door and screams and Jared startles, curses loudly. Katie chuckles beside him and he really hopes that she can see his glare.

Once they come out the other side the tour guide is waiting for them again, smiling. “I do hope no one bothered you, the prisoners can get a bit rowdy sometimes.” She turns and starts walking again, calls over her shoulder, “Come along, we shouldn’t dawdle where we’re unwanted.”

They go through another long hallway with the occasional window, and they light up as they pass by. The scenes inside are more urban legends or movie moments, or just the plain old gory - like the last one, a woman soaking in a tub of blood. Jared makes a face and continues past.

“The theatre was boarded up for a long time, no one wanted it after the murders. Some people claim they could hear screams at night coming from inside but no one ever had the nerve to venture in. Until someone did, of course.”

They stop in another open room, tubes and more wax tubs spread throughout. There are chambers housing body parts, one or two with entire people. The smoke is thick and the heat is almost unbearable and Jared starts to sweat immediately. The red lights makes everything seem like it’s soaked in blood.

“This new wax maker was no more sane than the other, as you can see by some of the displays. You would have to be insane wouldn’t you?”

“We all are!” Someone screams from behind them and Jared jumps, turns to see who it is but they’re gone by the time he does. He feels a little ridiculous.

“I suppose,” the tour guide says and whatever she was going to say next gets cut off by the sound of a wailing siren and then she’s screaming at them to get out of the room. Jared doesn’t hesitate, grabs Katie’s hand and all but drags her to the door the guide had opened for them.

When they burst through Katie’s laughing beside him, and Jared is too a little. They’re all in another hallway, lit and void of anything. There’s a red exit sign at the end and Jared finds himself a little disappointed that it’s over so soon.

“That was kind of fun,” he says. Katie just hums in agreement and they continue walking, the excited chatter of the other group members behind them. When they get to the end Jared pushes open the door and steps forward into another dark room. He sinks once his weight hit’s the floor and he reaches out to not topple over. The floor is made of sponge and with the neon stick-on stars and planets on the walls he guesses they’re supposed to be on the moon.

The group wades their way through the room, Katie falling once and then laughing while he tries to get her up to her feet again. When they reach the other side someone else is waiting for them. Jared can see a spinning tunnel ahead of him and he groans. He was never good at those things.

He lets Katie go first, watches as she tries to maintain her balance. She gets stuck in the middle for a second, feet almost going out from under her as the tunnel spins but she makes, and with bright eyes she waves at Jared to follow.

He gets halfway through just fine, just like Katie and then he nearly falls face first. He wonders if crawling the rest of the way would be the pussy way out and he really doesn’t want to be one upped by Katie. Taking a deep breath he all but runs through the rest of the way and then nearly falls out the other side.

“Woah, careful.” A familiar voice cries cheerfully and a hand wraps around his upper arm. When he straightens Jared looks into the smiling eyes of Jensen. Jared feels himself flush, embarrassed and happy to see him.

“Thanks,” he says. Jensen squeezes his bicep a little then lets go with a smile.

There’s a second or two of silence when neither of them says anything, just stand there looking at each other and then Katie is grabbing Jared’s hand and waving goodbye to Jensen and pulling Jared through the real exit.

“That was kind of awesome,” Jared says once they’ve left the building and get back into the day light. The light shines bright and makes his head hurt between his eyes and he squints against it.

“I told you it would be,” Katie chirps cheerily beside him. “I’ve been through that spinny thing so many times and I still can’t make it all the way without stopping.”

Jared chuckles and he realizes he’s still holding Katie’s hand but he doesn’t let go. She doesn’t seem to mind and it’s comfortable, nice. They continue down the street, weaving through the tourists and Jared suggests going for ice cream.

When they hit the stand by the lake and there’s a long line, so they chat while they wait. Jared asks her finally about her jobs and she shrugs.

“Saving for college,” she says. “Loans can only get you so far you know? And when my mom died my dad kind of had to take over paying for everything, so I help out sometimes. He says I don’t have to, but I see how he struggles and it makes me feel good to help out.”

“I’m sorry,” he says and he means it. Sorry that she has to work so hard and that he even brought it up in the first place. He mentally kicks himself for not thinking.

“It’s not your fault, it’s been a long time.”

Jared gives her a small smile and then asks her what she’s planning on studying once she gets to school.

“Not sure yet,” she says and swipes the hair out of her eyes. “There’s so much that I want to know.” Jared nods because he understands. He doesn’t know what he wants to study either and he’s glad to hear he’s not the only one undecided.

“I was beginning to think I was some kind of freak,” he says. “My brother knew he was going to go to med school by ninth grade, my sister is already planning out her career and she’s only thirteen. I thought I was the only one who didn’t know what they wanted to do.”

His parents have been grilling him for months, ever since he started filling out college apps, and he had no answer to give them. He still doesn’t. His mother wants him to go into teaching like she did but his father wants him to prep to take over the family business. He just wants to go and learn, figure things out as they go along.

“You’re not a freak, don’t worry,” Katie says. “At least not about that.”

“Thanks,” he snorts and she grins. Her eyes shift over his shoulder and she rolls her eyes. He turns to check out what she’s looking at and starts to laugh at the girl in the giant ice cream costume.

“Hey, Danneel.” Katie says and the girl in the costume looks up from the pile of pastel flyers she’s apparently supposed to be passing out. Her mouth is set in a scowl and she looks annoyed. “Nice outfit!”

“Don’t start, Cassidy.”

“I’m not allowed to say hello anymore?” Katie asks, hand coming to rest over her heart and she mock pouts. Danneel rolls her eyes and goes back to her flyers, not in the mood for whatever Katie’s trying to start.

They move forward in line until they get to the window and they order their treats. Afterwards they cross the street and sit on the wall by the visitors center, Katie laughing at Danneel struggling with her giant costume. After a few minutes of silence while they dig into their ice cream, Katie speaks up.

"So when are you going to tell me?" Katie asks.

"Tell you what?"

"About your crush on Jensen,” she says matter of factly. Jared doesn’t think it’s possible to choke on ice cream, but he sure comes close.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come on, I see the way you look at him." Katie says, oblivious to the panic rising in Jared as she sits and eats.

"Really, I don't. I don't have a crush on Jensen."

Katie rolls her eyes, says, "I'm not stupid, Jared. She knocks her shoulder into his, "Don't worry I won't tell anyone."

He doesn’t have a crush on Jensen! Does he have a crush on Jensen?

"Didn't you know, Jared?"

He shakes his head, a cracked _no_ falling from his lips and he's not going to start crying. Or freak out in front of all these people and a dancing ice cream cone. He maybe knew. He must have, somewhere. All those times he jacked off thinking about the other boy?

He knows that’s not something that you would normally do over someone you only want to be friends with. Just doing any kind of menial task though, and his mind would always wander over to the wax museum, wondering what Jensen was up to. And he definitely got that tingly dropping feeling in his stomach like with Sandy. It would explain some things, like why he turns into an idiot every time he‘s around the other boy.

He has a crush on Jensen.

"You're not... you're not mad?"

"Why would I be? I knew you and I weren’t going to go anywhere the second your ass hit the pavement.” She sighs and purses her lips, then grins wickedly, “And besides your fumbling crush? I think it's cute," she says and he scoffs, embarrassed. "Jensen's awesome, and so are you. You two will be adorable together."

"What?"

Katie turns to look at him, eyes searching, "Wait a minute. You're not going to just let this pass, are you?"

"I was hoping to!" He protests.

"Oh no. No you can't do that. You two _have_ to be amazing and gross and make every girl on the Lake jealous over your freaking perfect relationship!" She pauses and jerks a thumb in Danneel's direction, "Especially her."

“Why?”

“She’s been trying to get into Jensen’s pants since he moved here,” Katie says and takes a bite of her sundae. “It’s kind of sad the amount of times he’s turned her down and she keeps going back. Take a hint, why embarrass yourself? Also, I hate her.”

“Wasn’t Jensen with that Adam guy?” He asks, more for his own sake than Danneel’s. If he’s going to try to have something with Jensen he wants to know what he’s working with before he makes an ass out of himself. Jensen had said they fooled around sometimes, but that doesn’t mean anything. Hell Jared’s had thoughts about boys before but it wasn’t until ten seconds ago he realized he might actually have honest to god feelings for one.

“Sort of, they’ve always been a casual thing. I mean I don’t know much,” she says. “Jensen and I aren’t exactly best friends, but yeah they’ve hooked up a couple times. And the way that boy kisses? Damn.”

“Katie!”

“What?” Katie laughs and then pats him on the thigh, “He’s not your boyfriend yet, buddy. Let a girl have her fantasies, okay?” She hops down from the wall and throws her cup away, Jared following suit. “Besides, it’s not like I won’t be thinking the same thing about the two of you when you finally hook up.”

Jared growls and she squeals in delight as he chases after her, laughing.

\---

They don’t exactly have a plan, but there are lots of ideas being tossed around and a good bit of candy being eaten, so Jared thinks they’re making progress. Katie had started coming to Goofy Golf after her shift ended at the Steamboat Company so they could work out specifics but Chris found out about it and chased her away and then made Jared (much to Allison’s delight) clean the toilets. They decided to move their meetings to Jared’s place instead.

They’re sitting on the floor at the foot of Jared’s bed, a bag of Twizzlers between them. Jared had asked Katie to tell him about Jensen.

“I don’t know a lot,” she says. “I met him through Chris, obviously. Though I don’t think either one of them could tell you how they met each other.” She pushes herself up from the floor and sprawls back on his bed, taking the candy with her. “I think his family came up one summer to their vacation home and he just stayed behind when they left.”

Jared thinks about that for a moment, wonders what it would be like to wave goodbye to your family as you stay behind. If he’ll be able to do it himself once school starts. But that’s for college, not just for the hell of it. What had compelled Jensen to stick around?

Katie’s phone beeps from the pocket of her leather jacket she’d thrown over the back of Jared’s chair. New message waiting and he laughs as she flails in an attempt to sit up and get off of the bed, all legs and arms that she is. She flips him off good naturedly and slips the phone from her pocket. She grins wide, then flops down on the bed waving the phone in his face.

“This is perfect,” she says. Jared grabs for her phone but she pulls it away before he can get hold of it.

“What is it?” He laughs.

“You have to promise that when you get married you’ll let me be your best man,“ Katie says teasingly. Jared narrows his eyes at her and tries to grab the phone again but she pulls it away and tucks it to her side.

“You’re a girl.”

“Yeah, and you’re _gay_ ,”she says. Then, slowly when he still doesn‘t catch on, “Male strippers at the bachelor party!”

Jared rolls his eyes but he can‘t help but grin at her. “Fine, I promise. Now what is it?”

She grins again, says, “We’re goin’ to a barbeque at Jensen’s this weekend.” She hands him the phone and he takes it, stares down at the little screen and the words written there. He looks at her in surprise when he reaches the bottom, _bring Jared_.

Jared shrugs before passing the phone back over, chews his bottom lip thoughtfully. “He just invited me ‘cause he thinks I’m your boyfriend.”

Katie says, put-upon, “Up until last Sunday _you_ thought you were my boyfriend.” And Jared can’t really argue with that, even though he wasn’t entirely sure at the time. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks, we’re going to tell him differently.”

“We are?”

Katie gives him a look like she thinks he’s the most stupid person she’s ever met before heaving herself off of the bed and walking to his closet. “We are,” she says before thrusting the door open and rifling through his clothes. “But what are we going to wear?”

\---

Before Jared can do anything about Jensen he has to set some matters straight at home. He hasn’t seen much of his brother the last couple of days, both of them busy at work and when they are in the same house together they’re asleep.

He’d practiced telling his brother in front of a mirror for all of five minutes, then felt ridiculous and gave up. Decided he would just have to grin and bear it, get it over with and wait to see what happens. Easier said than done.

His brother has the afternoon off, works the graveyard shift at the E.R. instead and Jared takes the opportunity to call him up to the bedroom. It’s not the hardest thing he’s ever done, that hasn’t come yet - that’s telling his parents - but it still ranks up pretty high. His stomach is tied in anxious knots and the idea of his brother hating him makes him want to throw up and forget about it. But he’s never been a good liar, doesn’t want to lie and while there are still things he’s unsure about (like whether or not it’s not just Jensen that makes him feel this way) he wants to get it over with.

“I have to tell you something,” Jared says when his brother finally makes it down the hall to his room. He sits on his bed and waits for Jeff to come into the room proper instead of hovering in the doorway. His brother leans against the dresser next to the door, ankles and arms crossed and Jared shifts uncomfortably at his ease, hopes it stays. He’s pretty sure Jeff isn’t narrow minded or will throw him out, but then he’s never had the opportunity to ask. Has never had anything this important to get out. He wishes he could fast forward and have it done with.

“What’s up, Jay? You didn’t knock that Katie girl up, did you? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure Dad’ll kill you.”

Jared huffs a laugh and shakes his head no. He can feel the heat of his brother’s gaze on him but he doesn’t look up. Talks more to the floor than his brother, and prays that Jeff hears him so he doesn’t have to repeat it.

“No, she’s not pregnant. Actually we’ve never had sex… or at least not with each other, I don’t know if she’s ever done it with anyone else but I mean me and Sandy, well you know how Prom has that whole cliché thing and -”

“Jared, man. Seriously. Spare me the details and just spit it out.”

“I’m gay, Jeff.”

There’s silence for a moment and then Jeff lets out a long exhale of breath. Jared’s still staring at the floor, wringing his hands. His brother isn’t yelling, which is a good sign, or freaking out, which is even better. But he’s not saying anything either, and it does little to calm Jared’s nerves.

“You’re sure?” He finally says, and Jared nods. “Okay, well that’s cool.”

Jared jerks his head up in surprise and when Jeff sees the obviously shocked look on his face he rolls his eyes. “What’d you think I’d do, beat you or something?” Jared shrugs, the thought might have crossed his mind.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, man.” His brother says and pushes away from the dresser. He starts towards the door but stops in the doorway and turns back to Jared.

“You’re my brother, Jay. You know I‘d support you or whatever,” he pauses. Jared grins at him and shakes his head; his brother was never all that eloquent. “I mean it may take some getting used to, but as long as you’re happy, you hear me?”

Jared nods, sighs in relief.

“I have one question, though.” Jeff says.

“What’s that?”

“This Katie chick. She’s legal, right?”

Jared groans in disgust and his brother waggles his eyebrows at him. Jared picks up a pillow to throw at him but it only hit’s the closing door as his brother runs from the room laughing.

\---

So that’s _one_ thing out of the way at least, but Jared’s still got that knot of tension in his belly that just won’t go away. Jensen’s party is probably already underway and Jared makes his way slowly around the lake to Jensen’s house. Katie’s supposed to meet him there, unable to get out of work any earlier than her scheduled shift but she’d promised she wouldn’t be too long, that he wouldn’t have to suffer alone and he’s going to hold her to that. He feels awkward showing up at a party without a date, especially when he’s supposed to be said date’s guest.

Jared rounds the curve in the road and Jensen’s house comes into view through the trees. It sits on the lake and doesn’t look much different than Jeff’s. It’s tiny, and in the light of day he can see it’s blue with a bright red front door, windows thrust open to let the air in and the music and laughter out.

Jared climbs the short set of stairs, pants pinching in all the _wrong_ places because Katie had managed to find the tightest pair of jeans he owns. He’s pretty sure they’re at least a year old and that he looks ridiculous but she’d glared at him when he protested so he relented. _The tighter the better, Jared,_ she’d said but he’s not so sure how cutting off circulation to important bits is _better_.

He’d fought her on the shirt though. She’d tried to get him to wear some ratty wife-beater he used to sleep in but he put his foot down. He was going to be comfortable from the waist up at least, and opted for his trusty Pink Floyd tee under an open dark blue button down. He’d messed with his hair some before leaving but the ends were already curling with sweat and it was mussed from the wind on the lake, so his efforts were futile. He runs his fingers through it though, to straighten it a bit before taking a deep breath and ringing the doorbell.

“I’ll get it!” A voice calls from inside and the door is thrust open and Jared finds himself unconsciously taking a step back.

“I thought you left,” slips from his lips and he cringes. “I’m sorry, I mean the concert thing, I thought it was your last and you were moving. Not that I want you to move, I don’t even know you.”

Adam grins, blue eyes shiny with contained laughter and he ushers Jared inside. “It’s okay, man. I got you.” He says and closes the door. "Hey! Nick Mason!" Adam says and Jared looks at him quizzically.

"No, I'm Jared."

Adam laughs, says, "I mean your shirt. The picture? It’s really... you know what, never mind. Come on, I‘ll take you to Jensen." He throws his arm around Jared’s shoulders and leads him down the hall. Jared marvels at how this soft spoken Adam is the same one who was singing his ass off on stage. The same one who stuck his tongue halfway down Jensen’s throat in the middle of a crowded restaurant.

They continue down the hallway, through a small but clean and tidy kitchen and then Adam leads them through a sliding glass door and into the back yard. Jared can see Steve and Chris are already there, sitting in lawn chairs in the small grassy area and he waves to them when he steps outside. Chris nods and continues to strum his guitar but Steve waves back happily enough.

The lawn lopes down and ends in sand and a long wooden dock. At the end of that sits one red Adirondack chair and small metal hook Jared assumes is used to hold a fishing rod. He can see to the other side of the lake, the houses and the people who live in them milling about in their own yards. It’s peaceful though, and private. No wonder Jensen stayed.

Adam steers them towards the grill where Jensen is, spatula in hand and apron on over a white shirt and shorts, smoke billowing out around him. Jared’s palms start to sweat as his nervousness settles in and he wants to shrug Adam off, but that would be rude. It’s not his fault that Jared is inept.

They stop and Adam squeezes his shoulder before letting his hand drop and steps up beside Jensen, says, “Look who I found.”

Jensen looks up and grins when he sees Jared. He’s got his sunglasses on so Jared can’t tell if it reaches his eyes, _can’t see his eyes_ , but it looks heartfelt enough. Jared smiles back slightly but averts his gaze when Adam kisses Jensen on the cheek. The doorbell rings again and Adam runs to see who it is, leaving Jared there feeling awkward.

“Hi,” he says and peers around the hood of the grill to see what Jensen’s up to. There are burgers and hot dogs, as well as some corn wrapped in tinfoil, 2 large steaks off to the side. The smell is amazing and Jared’s stomach grumbles in appreciation.

“Hi yourself,” Jensen says back. “You want something to drink? There’s stuff in the cooler, if you want.” He nods in the direction of a large red cooler, lid open and packed full of ice and bottles. “You can have a beer if you promise not to tell anyone,” he says with a wink.

Jared breathes a laugh and goes over to grab a bottle of water instead and he pops the cap to take a long swig. He watches Jensen through half-lidded eyes and is surprised to see Jensen looking back. Those damn shades are keeping Jared from seeing what’s really going on in his head and he wants to reach up and rip them off.

“Katie should be coming soon,” he says instead. “I didn’t like, crash or anything.”

Jensen laughs then flips over the burgers, takes off the ones that are done and sets them on a paper plate. “I know you didn’t crash, Jay,” he says. “I invited you. I’m glad you’re here.”

Jared grins wide, feels himself relax and offers to help set everything up on the table. Jensen thanks him, gratefully, then points him to all of the supplies. Jensen hums while Chris strums along on his guitar and Jared listens while he passes out the paper plates and utensils, glad too, that he came.

\---

Katie arrives once everyone settles down to eat, Adam doesn’t bother getting up to answer the door, just yells through the opened backdoor for her to come back and less than a minute later she stomps out. She plops down next to Jared and kisses him on the cheek, winks when he looks at her confused.

She’s like that through the whole meal, laughing and flirting with him, playing with his hair and when they’ve finished eating he excuses them and drags her into the living room of Jensen’s house.

“What are you doing?” Jared tries not to raise his voice but he’s confused. If she changed her mind about helping him with Jensen then she should have told him.

“What do you think I’m doing?” She asks.

“Uh, practically humping me in the backyard, is what I think you’re doing,” he says and she rolls her eyes.

“You’re kind of dumb, you know?” Jared squeaks in protest but she doesn’t listen, “I’m trying to make him jealous,” she says and grabs Jared by the arm to drag him out into the hallway. From there he’s got a clear shot of Jensen out in the backyard talking with Steve and Tom, who‘d shown up just after Jared.

“He thinks we’re together, why would you proving his point make him jealous?”

Katie growls in frustration before grabbing Jared’s face in her hands and kissing him. On the lips. Jared tries to struggle away but she squeezes his cheeks tighter, and yeah, ow.

“Watch him,” she mumbles against his lips and Jared does what she says. When he looks up, Jensen is looking at them, not even paying attention to Steve anymore as he and Katie kiss. He’s got an unreadable expression on his face as he watches and hope flares up in Jared’s belly.

Katie finally pulls away and Jared sighs deeply. “Oh,” he says. When he looks back out through the door, Jensen has gone back to talking with Steve but Jared knows what he saw. Wants to know what it means.

“Duh,” Katie says and grabs his hand before leading him back outside. “We’ve got work to do.”

 

The rest of the night goes pretty much the same; Katie sneaking kisses or lacing their fingers together and Jared watches for Jensen’s reactions from underneath his bangs. And there is _always_ a reaction and Jensen gets steadily drunker as the night wears on. It confuses Jared, but it also makes him want to just tell Jensen how he feels about him and hope Jensen feels the same.

There’s a fire burning in the pit in the backyard and Steve and Adam sit around singing while Chris plucks away at the guitar. Katie’s sitting beside him wrapped in a blanket to fend off the cold wind coming from the lake. Jensen had gone in a few minutes earlier to clean up and Jared watches him for a moment through the glass door before excusing himself and heading in to offer help.

He slides the door open and Jensen looks up from his task of putting plates and silverware in the dishwasher to see who has come in and he smiles up at him, albeit tightly. And maybe Jared had been reading him wrong all day, maybe Jensen was uncomfortable with his and Katie’s displays of affection and he was just too polite to say anything about it.

They’re quiet for the time it takes for Jensen to finishing loading the dishwasher and to slide the rack back in and then he straightens and washes his hands. Jared wants to do something to busy himself instead of standing there looking and feeling like an ass, but this isn’t his house and he can’t just go around touching things.

The water shuts off and Jensen dries his hand on the towel hanging from a drawer knob and Jared clears is throat, says, “I’m sorry about,” and he stops because he has no idea what to say. _Sorry I’m kissing my girlfriend_? He doesn’t think that would go over well. He settles for waving his hand and says, “All that with Katie. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, this is your house and we shouldn’t have…”

Jared trails off because Jensen is just standing there, staring at him. Coming inside was a monumentally stupid idea and Jared wants to kick himself for even thinking about it. He smiles lightly and gives Jensen a small nod before turning with the intention of leaving.

He doesn’t make it far, Jensen wraps a hand around his arm and grips, tugs and turns him around to push him against the countertop. Jensen presses up against him, warm blanket of clothes and flesh and boy from chest to ankle, faces mere inches away and Jared call smell the beer on Jensen’s breath every time he exhales fiercely. It takes everything in him not to close that distance himself but he’s got to wait, has to let Jensen be the one to do it or else it’ll be wrong.

He doesn’t have to wait long, thankfully, thank _god_. Jensen dives to his mouth, forcefully latches on and bites and sucks at Jared’s lips. The hand gripping his arm moves up to his hair and tugs, laces through as the other winds its way around the back of Jared’s neck. It’s fucking fantastic and all thoughts leave his head and there’s nothing but the sound of their harsh breathing and the wet sucking sound of their kisses.

But then Jensen groans, _growls_ and pulls himself away and Jared moans at the loss, opens his eyes to look into Jensen’s that are blown wide with lust. Jensen’s watching him again, and Jared licks his lips only to have that action wrench Jensen away from him. The other boy straightens and presses fingertips to his lips, not wiping them, just resting. He stands there for only seconds before he’s taking off through the house and up the stairs.

Jared vaguely hears the backdoor slide open a short moment later and turns to find Adam, who comes up to stand beside him and puts his hand reassuringly on Jared’s shoulder. Jared offers him a tight smile laced with guilt. He’d forgotten about Adam.

“I’m sorry,” he says but Adam just shakes his head and pierces Jared with a serious gaze.

“I don’t own Jensen, Jared,” he says. “He and I were never more than friends.” Adam’s hand drops and he pulls out and straddles a chair. “If you want him, you’ve gotta go after him. He’s a stubborn ass,” Adam says with a fond smile. “But he _is_ and you’re going to be waiting a long time for him to come to you now. Figure out what you want, and go after him.”

Adam stands again, parks himself in front of Jared and ducks his head so he can catch Jared’s eye. “It may have taken me too long to realize it, but learn from my mistake. He’s worth it.”

Jared nods but doesn’t say anything and then Adam is gone and Jared’s left alone in the kitchen until Katie comes inside and helps him home.

\---

On Monday, Jared drags himself out of bed and into the shower. He’d spent the rest of the weekend miserable and lying in bed with his head in Katie’s lap as she petted her fingers through his hair. They watched stupid movies and ate too much popcorn and Jared didn’t even care if he was acting like a girl. He was sad, damn it.

But the weekend ends and he has to go to work whether he liks it or not. At least he doesn’t have to deal with customers since the golf course is closed for maintenance. Chris is too busy running around trying to get the twelve foot T-Rex hazard up to code to pay him any mind, and Jared is grateful. He doesn’t need Chris being an ass to make things worse. Everyone is there to help out and Jared lets Aldis’ voice wash over him and drown out his thoughts of Jensen and Fuck Ups and whether or not begging was beneath him. The day goes by pretty quickly and a half hour before his shift ends he’s feeling a lot better, thinking about maybe calling Katie up to go to a movie.

Chris had gone to run some errands, apparently finally trusting his peons enough to stay by themselves and not burn the whole place to the ground while he was gone. Jared had been handed a gallon of bright orange paint, a brush and was then pushed in the direction of the now regulation standard dinosaur.

He’s nearly finished, streaks of paint all over his jeans and hands, and he lays the brush over the lid of the can to stretch his back and work the feeling back into his right arm. Then Aldis is shouting Jensen’s name and Jared jerks his head towards the entrance of the course, and sure enough, Jensen's there. Jared wonders while he watches Jensen wave to Aldis and then stop to speak with Allison, head bent and serious.

Jared looks away after a moment and picks up his paintbrush to start again. Jensen comes up beside him and his hand falters a little and he curses himself. “Chris isn’t here,” he says, proud that his voice doesn’t shake.

“So I heard,” Jensen replies. “I’m not here to see him anyway.”

Jared doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even look up and Jensen huffs, frustrated. “Could you stop that for a second?”

“If I’m not done by the time he gets back, he’ll be mad,” Jared says and continues to paint.

“I’ll tell him it’s my fault, all right? So can you just. Stop it.” Jensen reaches out and stills Jared’s hand with his own and Jared tries not to flinch away from the touch.

“What do you want, Jensen?”

Jensen takes a deep breath, lets it out again slowly as he runs a hand through his hair. Jared stares at point over the other man’s shoulder and waits for him to speak. “I just wanted to apologize,” he says finally.

“Go for it.” Jared knows that he’s being an ass, that Jensen doesn’t really deserve all this anger. But Jensen was the one who kissed him, Jensen was the one who pushed him away and then fled the room. So, maybe he deserves a little bit of it.

“I’m sorry I freaked, I know I should have stayed and talked to you about it, but I don’t know,” Jensen pauses and rubs the back of his neck. “I just panicked, that’s all. It’s not an excuse, but there it is.”

He pauses and looks to Jared but Jared doesn’t know what to say, so Jensen continues. “I know that I don’t really deserve your forgiveness, and I hope I didn’t ruin anything with you and Katie…”

Jared snorts because that’s the last thing Jensen did. He wants to grab hold of Jensen and shake him until he realizes, wants to throw him to the ground and kiss him stupid. But he doesn’t. “You don’t have to worry about that,” Jared says on a laugh.

Jensen gives him a quizzical look but nods, starts to back up. “Well, I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” he says. “I still hope we can be friends.”

Jared knows that this would be the perfect time to step up and tell him everything. How he feels and what he wants. Tell him and show him, before Jensen runs away again but he can’t and he knows that makes him a coward.

He nods instead and watches Jensen leave.

\---

Summer has finally, officially started. The occasion celebrated with a week long fireworks show and a rush of visitors to the town. Chris adds more hours and days to Jared’s schedule and Jared has very little time to think about Jensen or anything else. The heat has amped itself up, too and Jared can barely breathe because it’s so muggy. Whatever breeze blows off the lake when he goes to meet Katie for lunch is only hot air and does nothing to help.

The days get longer and stretch on and Jared knows that school is going to start soon. He’s both saddened and excited by this realization. The idea of leaving this place isn’t one he likes to dwell on too long, wonders if this is how Jensen felt and is why he stayed. It’s been two weeks since Jensen’s barbeque and the kiss and Jared can still feel Jensen’s lips pressed to his when he stops and remembers. He doesn’t do it often, though. He can’t afford to.

He’s relaxing in his room, enjoying a day off from work and listening to some CDs when Katie barges in, unannounced and uninvited. He yelps in surprise when the door bursts open and she laughs before plunging next to him on the bed.

“Who let you in?” Jared asks.

“Your brother? He’s kind of hot,” Katie says and Jared groans in disgust.

“If you’re going to be gross you can leave,” he says. Katie punches him in the arm and he rubs at the spot when she jumps up again to go rummage through his CD collection. She clucks her tongue in disapproval at all of them before finally settling on a mixed disc he put together before he left San Antonio.

“So,” she says as she flops down in his desk chair. “What are we doing for your birthday?”

“ _We_ aren’t doing anything, I have to work,” Jared says and lays back on his bed, hands crossed behind his head. She groans, calls Chris a douche and spins around in his chair.

“You have to work the whole day?”

“Enough of it,” he replies. He’s not as upset as he probably should be about having to spend his eighteenth birthday working. If it had been last year he would have pitched a fit. He’s not sure if that means he’s more mature or if he’s just too exhausted to care.

Katie hums a response and Jared watches her spin until he gets dizzy. They sit in comfortable silence for a while before Katie gets bored and challenges him to a duel. They spend the rest of the afternoon playing Guitar Hero and Katie kicks Jared’s ass every time.


	3. Chapter 3

Jared trudges slowly through the busy streets and realizes that it’s not because he’s more mature that he’s not upset with working on his birthday, he’s just really incredibly tired. He had tried to fake being sick but Jeff had come in and pulled the covers off and onto the floor before doing the same to the lower half of Jared’s body. He’d then thrown open the drapes and stood by the side of Jared’s bed until he finally flipped him off and crawled out of it and into the shower.

And now he just wants to throw himself to the ground and pitch a fit of epic proportions, complete with leg and fist flailing. It’s his _birthday_ and he has to work. With _Chris_. When he gets there it’s already packed and Jared groans as he trudges up the stairs. There aren’t any people waiting in line, thankfully, but he’s sure there will be soon enough.

Allison waves to him happily from her spot at the window as he goes to clock in, and he tries to smile back. He joins her when he’s finished stashing his stuff in his locker and she gives him a sympathetic look.

“Happy birthday!” She cheers and he thanks her with a real smile this time. It’s not her fault he’s there, and he _is there_ so he may as well make the most of it. He’s got a short shift at least, gets off at nine and he’s grateful for that. He could be there until midnight like usual. He can manage four hours without being too much of a grump.

 

Maybe because it’s a weekday or because God likes him, it doesn’t get as bad as he expected. There are still crowds and he has to break up a fight between a couple of pre-teen boys, earning the business end of a putter to the forehead for his efforts, but all in all it’s not so bad. His headache is almost gone.

At eight o’clock Chris shoves a fifty dollar bill into his hand and pushes him towards the exit with the instructions to head to Morgan’s and pick up his order. Jared didn’t know errand boy was in his job description but he doesn’t complain, welcomes the change of scenery at least.

There are people everywhere, barely room to move and the music from Lakeview greets his ears as he rounds the corner onto the main drag. He’s never been into Morgan’s before but Katie’s brought their lunch there many times and Jared thinks it’s time he thanked the man in person for being an awesome sandwich maker.

He has to stand in line for a few minutes while the customers ahead of him get their food but it doesn’t take long. The girl behind the counter smiles up at him, he does the same back but doesn’t put too much into it. Her name tag says Gen and she looks a little bit like Sandy, tiny and brown haired. Her big brown eyes light up when he smiles back and he’s gotta find a way to turn this girl off, fast.

“Um, I’m here to pick up my _boy_ friends order?” And that does it, as soon as the b word falls from his lips, so too does her smile from hers. Her professionalism doesn’t, though, and she’s sweet the whole time he’s waiting for his order and he leaves her a big tip when he goes. It’s not like it was his money, and it’s Chris’ fault for making him work on his damn birthday.

He’s got two large sacks full of sandwiches and another of chips and he wonders why Chris ordered so much. When he gets back to the golf course the parking lot is empty and under the stadium lights he see the course is as well. He jogs up the stairs, calling for Chris and Allison when he reaches the top but there’s no answer.

He makes his way into the staff lounge, door open and flicks on the light and never once is he suspicious and even takes him a second to figure out what’s going on once everyone shouts surprise at him. His face immediately goes red and he kind of wants to turn ass and run, but he doesn’t.

Katie squeals along with Allison and they both rush up to give him a hug. He does the best he can with a handful of bags until Chris comes up to take them from him. Allison runs off to grab some sodas from the vending machine but Katie stays behind, hanging off his side.

“Whose idea was this?” He asks as he shakes hands with Tom, is pulled into a massive, _painful_ hug from Mike.

“Depends,” Katie says. “You gonna kill the person who did it?”

“Not tonight,” Jared laughs when Mike finally lets go.

“Well then I did,” she says and stands on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Happy birthday, Jared.” She says before winking at him and bounding off after Chris to get some food. Jared can’t believe that they planned all of this for him, that Chris actually kicked out paying customers for him.

“Hey little brother,” Jared startles at the sound of Jeff’s voice and his brother drags him into a hug. Jeff pats him on the back then pulls back, smiling. “I’m happy you’re here, I don’t know if I told you that. It’s nice having someone to help keep the cabin clean.”

Jared barks out a laugh and tries to punch his brother in the side but he swerves then goes to get his own food, to stand next to Katie. Jared watches as they smile at each other and he rolls his eyes but thinks they might actually be good together. Though, he’ll never admit that.

“Jay?”

Jared turns at the tentative voice behind him to find Jensen. He wasn’t expecting him, but Jared finds himself happy that he’s there anyway. He watches Jensen shuffle his feet and scrape a hand self-consciously through his short hair and realizes that he maybe really kind of likes this guy. More than a crush, he wants to be with Jensen in every way possible for as long as possible.

“I hope you don’t mind that I’m here? Katie invited me. I told her it might not be the best idea since you’re probably pissed at me but she said it was fine and man, she looks like she hits really hard, so, I hope you don’t mind.”

Jared laughs because he can’t help it. He’s so used to having verbal diarrhea it’s weird for him to see other people doing it. Jensen looks at him, a mix of humor and maybe-hurt in his eyes, confusion. Jared takes a step towards him and he looks panicked for a second but Jared doesn’t give him time to ask what’s going on, doesn’t give him time to bolt. Doesn’t give himself time to think.

He grabs Jensen by the front of his shirt and tugs him forward, presses their mouths together in a slow kiss. It’s not as fierce or demanding as the first one they shared, but it’s still as amazing. Jared’s kind of proud of himself for having the nerve to do it. From behind them Jared can hear Katie grumble a finally and he laughs against Jensen’s lips before pulling away.

“Wow, so. Hi,” Jared grins and Jensen does the same. There are so many things swirling around in Jared’s head and he doesn’t know where to start. He thinks maybe getting out of that room full of people and going somewhere private is a good first step.

“Um,” Jensen starts. Then, “Oh, almost forgot.” He hands over the thin box he’d had clutched in his hand, red bow on top coming unraveled and says, “Adam said to give you this. Also, he said to tell you that he’s finally gone?”

The last part drags out into a question but Jared only laughs, doesn’t explain. He unties the bow the rest of the way and snorts down at the picture from his tee-shirt, at the face of Nick Mason. He kinda wishes he could have gotten to know Adam, thinks he’ll have to send him a thank you card.

Jared grabs Jensen’s hand and laces their fingers together before pulling him over to the rest of the group. They share a smile, Jensen’s eyes are a bright green and Jared leans forward and kisses Jensen again, chaste and quick. Just because he can now. He likes that.

The two of them have a lot to talk about, and the summer is going to end eventually. He knows that he’ll have to pack up and head to school. To his future. But he’s determined to not make Jensen his past, and he hopes, _knows_ now, that Jensen feels the same.


End file.
